Chapter 5 : The Hollow Knight

Aric woke choking on the smell of burnt porridge again.

He'd left the pot on the hearth too long—again. These days, his hands shook when he tried to measure time. The hourglass by his pallet might as well have been filled with ash for all the good it did him.

Across the barracks, young Kaelin pretended not to watch as he scraped the blackened mess into the slop bucket. Her pity was worse than the others' avoidance. At least when the rest of the Sun Guard crossed the yard to avoid him, they let him keep his dignity.

"You missed blade drills," Kaelin said, too casually. The new scar on her cheek pulled when she spoke—a souvenir from the border skirmish he should have led.

Aric's gauntlet straps dangled loose around his wrists as he fumbled with the buckles. The armor had fit snugly last summer. Now the greaves rattled around his calves like a child playing dress-up.

"The king wants you at the north gate by—"

"I know what the king wants." His voice came out rougher than he intended. The words tasted like the porridge—charred and bitter.

Kaelin flinched, then squared her shoulders. "They're saying the Twilight Coven poisoned you. That she—"

Aric's fist connected with the armor stand before he realized he'd moved. The crash sent a family of sparrows fleeing from the rafters. When the ringing in his ears faded, he found Kaelin staring at him with wide, wet eyes.

The silence stretched until it hurt.

"I'll tell them you're sick," she whispered, and fled.

Alone in the wreckage, Aric pressed his scarred palm to his chest. The heartbeat beneath felt wrong—like an echo of someone else's pulse.

Through the window, the wind carried a whisper that might have been his name.

He didn't answer.